Experience::
by Ayumidorizumi
Summary: A Mithra White Mage hangs up her magic in order to become the slinking Thief she was destined to be, leaving behind the only love she's known since she was eight. Now she has to face her greatest fears to overcome the choices she's made in the past.
1. Level One: To Thief or not to Thief

::Experience::

A Final Fantasy XI Tale

**Level One: To Thief or not to Thief**

_Her boots clicked lightly on the stone floor after she lowered herself from the tiny slit window, the rope from her grappling hook dangling like the string she so loved to play with. Small beads of sweat were beginning to gather on her furry forehead, her ears pressed hard against the back of her head. She would do this right. She needed it. Those people needed it. She was a modern day Robin Hood in Training, and today was the final test to tell her if she could really do this or not._

_Gasping for air as a hulking Galka guard lumbered around the corner she dove for the cover of shadows, disappearing just in time. She could feel the vibrations in the floor as he pounded down the hall, only to turn again and leave her keen sight. _

_Again she was on the move, dodging left and right to avoid the primarily Galka raced guards. She could probably outrun them if it really came down to it, but she wasn't here to run, was she?_

_Determined, agile, she'd been training on her own in the woods for the past month to succeed in this one simple task. What was the task, you ask? To steal several articles of the stupid Hume king's clothing. Each one of the silky robes was worth at least one-thousand, and she calculated she could carry about ten of them without dying under the weight._

_Being so tiny was never really fun for the Mithra. And being tiny in her case meant both in the chest and in height._

_Up ahead she saw the door to the king's room. Readying her lock pick, she smirked, checking every which way for one of the giant guards before dashing across the stone and going to work at the lock. _

_"Dammit.." She murmured after ten minutes of unsuccessful picking. After another five she stood, grabbing the handle and pushing on the door. It opened effortlessly, since it hadn't been locked in the first place._

_"…" She would save the self chastising for later. Slipping into the chamber she heard the distinct sound of snoring. Over in the bed lay the king, his eyes heavy and closed, his bare chest falling and rising slowly. If she didn't hate Hume's so much she probably would have enjoyed the sight, since the king was only in his late twenties and fit, but ever since she was a child she hated their kind, meaning both Hume's and men in general. She would never give her heart away, to anyone. She would never give herself away to some selfish bastard._

_Sliding over the carpeted floor to the giant wardrobe she picked the lock easily, opening the doors with a slight creak. Inside was any number of silken, wonderfully expensive clothes, all different, bright, beautiful colors that caught her eye. With a smile she pulled the giant sack out from under her belt, beginning to stuff it to the brim with the fabric loot. A moment later she tied the bulbous thing to her shoulders, making herself look like a giant humped monster before slinking out of the king's quarters and back to her dangling string._

_The rope was in sight, and as far as she could tell she was in no danger of being seen, so she headed for it._

_But just at the moment she was about to mount the rope and pull herself up, huge, shinny plated arms wrapped themselves around her waist and pulled her away into the shadows. A soft, warm hand clapped over her lips, and a few stray, dark blonde hairs tickled her face as they blew in the wind that came from the slit window._

-----

That was just a few seconds ago. But really, I felt like scratching this guy's eyes out.

"Settle down, you feisty little feline, and give me a chance to talk to you!" He whispered easily into my ear, his voice was calming, cool, collected. But it was definitely male, even if it held a bit of femininity in it. He untied the sack from my shoulders with swift fingers, and it went falling to the ground with a fwoof.

I kicked his groin and rolled forward, pulling one of my daggers and taking a defensive position.

"Mmf… Very feisty…," He groaned, his face and most of his armored body distorted by the shadows he stood in. He straightened up. "You should give a man a chance to introduce himself before you go after what's below the belt, sweet heart."

"Don't talk genitals with me, you sexist bastard or I'll cut yours right off and make you a eunuch..!" I hissed, which actually was hissing in my case.

He almost giggled. "Such big words for someone so tiny, it's almost precious!" He squealed after a moment of listening to the halls. He danced forward, grabbing me around the waist before spiraling into the shadows again. He pressed himself against the wall, holding his hand over my mouth. I thrashed for a few seconds before a platoon of Galka rumbled around a corner, weapons in hand. They saw the sack on the floor a ways away, and then the rope dangling from the window before they rushed down the hall, calling an alarm.

He let me go.

I turned and pressed my dagger against the skin of his exposed neck. By what little moon light shone in from the window I could at least tell he was wearing the shinny, white gold armor of a paladin. And he wasn't hulking, pointy eared or tiny like a Tarutaru so, by process of elimination, he was a Hume.

The blade pressed into his skin, drawing blood. He barely winced underneath his helmet. "S-settle down, kitten. I mean no harm..!" His hands rose to either side of his face and I could see his lips twist into a shuddering smile. I growled deep in my throat. I could hear another platoon of guards coming, and the Galka that had passed before had ripped my rope out of the wall and taken the clothes.

"Show me a way out of here, you ass, or I'll slit your throat and leave your blood for the beasts."

Without another word he snagged my wrist, the one that held the dagger to his neck, and pulled me away and into the light. I couldn't see his face, just his lips as he ran me, literally he picked me up off the ground like a foot ball, down halls and stairs and then finally to the basement. A river, where the entrance gate was guarded by some really ditzy men, ran through there leading to the dungeon. Apparently he was going to sneak me through there. He didn't explain a thing as he put me down behind the corner and strode out into the torch lights. The two, slightly chubby Hume guards straightened up at the sight of the man, saluting.

"Everyone in the castle has been searching for you, Sir!" One of them called.

"And why would that be? Today was supposed to be my day off." His voice was amazingly strong, calm, almost angelic…

I shook my head, watching, trying to figure out how this plan was going to get me out of here.

"There's an intruder somewhere in the castle, expected to be a Mithra of some sort. She broke into the king's chambers and stole many of his favorite articles of clothing." I couldn't help but cackle under my breath. "Have you seen her? You're usually the one that spots these kinds of annoyances fast."

He was going to rat me out!

"No, no. I'm sorry boys, but I haven't seen any Mithra around the castle lately. No cute ones, anyway." They all chuckled strangely. The kind of chuckle that meant he just made an inside sex joke. "By the way, boys, I've been asked to escort you upstairs. The cooks have asked me to join them for some midnight sweet snacks and I asked if I could bring a few of my friends with."

The two men smiled wide and nodded. The paladin smiled as well, motioning for them to follow as he led them down the river side and away from the gates. He let them begin to climb the stairs first before his helmet front turned toward me, and then he was gone.

I slunk out toward the river. The only way out of the river was to either go under the gate or bring it up, and I was too small to bring it up on my own. So, taking a deep breath, I dove into the water.

Swimming downstream was easy, though uncomfortable for a cat like me. When I finally did pull myself onto the river bank the castle was far in the distance, the sun rising behind it.

_You should be thankful! That Hume saved your skin!_ A small voice in my heart yelled at me. I rolled my eyes and began to strip off my wet clothes. "Stupid stuck up Hume paladins. Always wanting to do good. I can take care of myself, thank you very much!!" I yelled into the early morning before sinking down, laying in the dewing grass, my red panties ready to dry in the coming sun on my body as the rest of my things awaited spread out on the bushes beside the bank.

_You asked him for help in the first place…_

* * *

**Coming Soon Level Two: Stranger in the Bushes  
**


	2. Level Two: Stranger in the Bushes

::Experience::

**Level Two: Stranger in the Bushes**

I was taking a well deserved nap on the bank, the afternoon sun warming my fur as my tail swished in the grass happily. I was tempted to remove my bra and panties, just so my privates could get the benefit of the gorgeous weather as well. Before I had the chance, though, I slipped into more than a cat nap. I hadn't slept in three days, what do you expect?

_Her home spread out before her, a simple, small farm where she and her family lived. Her four elder brothers from the first litter, the six elder sisters from the second, herself, the only one to survive from the third, and her baby brother, who was also the only one to survive from the fourth litter. Soon after he was born her mother died, and their father returned to the home land with two of the originally six kittens from the first litter._

_The brothers mostly went into town to sell the goods they grew while the girls worked in the field, but the youngest brother was strange. He was stronger than the other men of her clan. More like a female Mithra than a small boy._

_She watched in the dream as a reflection of who she was seven years ago, still a kitten herself, worked beside her elder sisters and baby brother, two years younger than she. A small smile spread over her lips as she did this, giggling when her brother fell into puddles. It seemed like days were flying by in seconds…_

_And then they came._

_An army of Humes, warrior men who probably aspired to be something along the lines of a Paladin, and mage women who had received their training and only wished to hone their skills._

_They were on their way to the Mithra capital, or were they trying to find the Tarutaru? Maybe the Elvaan? They never said. When the family rushed out to meet them they ignored them at first, but then one of the male leaders saw her little brother and turned, sending a blast of black magic his way._

_"No!!" She cried from the side lines, and the reflection of herself dove in front of the smaller Mithra. The blast hit her square in the back, between the shoulder blades, sending her flying into her little brother. He crumpled under her weight as she cried out in agony, but hunched her inflicted body over his small one._

_Her sisters let out angry cries, pulling farm tools from the gate before they flung themselves at the one who attacked. He laughed, sending more of his black magic at her sisters. One by one they all fell, bleeding, huge black wounds steaming as the water in their Mithra blood boiled away._

_She sprung, snagging her brother's shirt and diving into the farm house, throwing him into the cellar and slamming it behind him. _

_The door to the house burst open, a platoon of soldiers entering before the black mage warrior followed, smirking down at the small Mithra who held a dented pan up as her weapon…_

I wrenched myself from the dream, sitting up quickly, panting. I hated when that memory came back to haunt me…

Getting on my hands and knees I crawled over to the river, leaning down and taking a long drink. The afternoon sun was beginning to get a little too hot for me.

While my butt was stuck up in the air, just my luck, I heard a bush rustle near by. Guess Tom finally caught up with me.

Sitting back on my heels I listened and sure enough the rustle again. This guy really wasn't very stealthy at all. "Idiot men…" After standing I walked calmly over to the bush, and then around. What I saw was a man hunched over himself, trying to separate the leaves so he could peer out at the river.

"Hey, bastard, haven't you ever heard of paying for a show?" I raised my foot and shoved it into his side. He rolled, ending up on his back in the grass as I pinned him down and glared.

"Jeez, kitten! You've sure got a short fuse."

"…" Great. I'd only heard the voice once, but he didn't need to be wearing his armor for me to tell it was the paladin from last night. "What do you want, _Tom_?" I demanded, harshly pushing my leg into his chest.

Again, he barely winced. "Tom? Where'd you get that name from?"

"From you peeping at me through the bushes, you bastard!"

"Aaah. Clever." He grabbed my ankle, picking it up off his massive chest before standing. I reached down to my belt for a dagger, but, as were all my affects, they were out in the sun drying.

"… Shit…"

"Gatta tell you, though, kitten. What you don't have in the chest you make up for in the ass, that's for sure."

I reached up and punched him in the stomach, since I was too short to reach his face. In fact, he was one of the tallest Humes I'd ever seen. So tall that… well… lets just say if he stopped suddenly while walking in front of me my face would be in a most undesirable place.

"… Deserved that one.." He rubbed his middle lightly, obviously unaffected by my punch.

"What do you want, bastard?" I snarled.

"Nothing, really. I just happened to see you on the bank while I came out for my afternoon romp in the sun." He gave his voice a thick, horrible accent from somewhere or other, and I rolled my eyes.

"Really. Why are you here?"

"I'm supposed to bring you in…," He mumbled. "The king was mad at me for allowing a small pest like you to get into the castle, let alone escape, so to make up for it I was supposed to track down the nearest Mithra and bring her in for accusation."

"… I'll kill you."

"I don't doubt it."

We stood in silence for a few agitating moments before he spoke again.

"I'm not taking you in, though. I've actually decided to step down from my position in the castle. Go back to being who I was a long time ago.." He reached up and ran his fingers through his long blonde hair, looking off over my head at something I couldn't see.

"Why? You seemed to enjoy your cushy life there in the stone walls."

"That's just it, though. They're walls. Sometimes that place feels like a cage… And people like me don't do well behind bars."

Another long silence.

"… So what are you going to do now?"

"I don't know, actually. Maybe start over…" I turned away from him and went to pick up my scattered things, pulling on my trousers and shirt and boots. He watched me the entire time.

"What're you looking at, perv?"

"Just you." He smiled sweetly before tipping an imaginary hat my way and literally disappearing.

* * *

Coming Soon: Level Three: Hot, Passionate... Battles? 


	3. Level Three1: Hot, Passionate Battles?

::Experience::

**Level Three (Part 1): Hot, Passionate… Battles?**

I still didn't quite understand what that guy thought he was doing, trying to help me. Like I really need helping. If it hadn't been for him in the first place I could have been half way to San d'Oria by now.

But, instead, I was stalking the streets of Jeuno in search of my next meal.

Just like I hadn't slept in a few days, I hadn't eaten in just as many, if not more. My stomach was growling like nothing else, and my body was beginning to give out from the lack of nourishment. Maybe I could snitch some fish off a fisherman in training…

"You shouldn't worry about the bitch," A female voice filled the late afternoon air from around a corner, everything else relatively quiet. "If she's any kind of Mithra she'll be able to take care of herself. You're too soft hearted for your own good, Koi."

"Hey, don't be hitting below the belt now." _… WHY!? _I groaned inwardly and dove behind the nearest anything to hide. A moment or so later that annoying Paladin and another Mithra came prancing all happily around the corner.

Actually, they weren't prancing, but they might as well have been. Stupid rich bastards…

The Mithra lady was dressed in the formal, high ranking attire of a well-seasoned Red Mage, "Koi" in his shiny paladin getup.

"It's not like I did much for her. I just checked up on her is all… She's so tiny; it's hard not to fall in love with a little lost kitten."

"Lost kitten is right. Rookie thieves shouldn't be trying to stick their noses where they don't belong yet. Meaning your castle."

"It's not _my_ castle, Prim. It's not my anything anymore, remember? I stepped down."

"I don't understand why you did that, either! You had the life, boy! Why would you throw such a nice life away?"

"She… Well… Lets just say I'm tired of civil life. I want to get back out there… Be who I used to be… Be who… _we_ used to be…"

"We?"

"I was hoping you'd like to come with me. We can pick up where we last left off before you went back to the homeland."

I hadn't noticed they were getting too far off for me to hear as I listened, needless to say, interested in what they were talking about. It was me, for sure, but I was with Prim. I didn't understand why the paladin would want to give up such a nice life. After I snapped out of my day dream I sprung to life, following behind them a ways away, acting casual. Just another civilian… Hopefully.

"- are you doing this again?" I picked up just as the Mithra started speaking again. "Is it because of that stupid thief? Did she put some kind of idea in your head you could go back to being who you were?"

"In a way…" He paused in the middle of his sentence, and even though I couldn't see his face, I could almost feel the change in his aura. He was smirking at me! That smug little… "In a way she did. She was so feisty! Put a dagger to my throat, dang nabbit."

"Sounds like you have a crush." Prim's voice sounded strange with that phrase, as if she were trying to hide something.

"I doubt it. But she was fantastic. I was amazed she wasn't caught by the time she came back to the window." He turned his head ever so slightly, looking at me in his peripheral vision before smiling. "And I was also amazed she didn't notice me in the first place when she came through that window."

That ass hole…

"Hey, I'm gunna go check up on Rufus, alright? I'll meet you at the Inn." Prim waved to him before running off down a separate road, no doubt going to the stables. I followed Koi for a while before he turned into an ally. I turned in as well, but there was nothing but darkness when I stepped in between the buildings.

Two arms wrapped around my shoulders, elbows supporting my arms as I was yanked up into the air by silver clad muscle.

"Why are you following me?" His voice whispered softly into my ear, and again loose strands of his blonde hair blew into my face. "I don't like being followed. It makes me… _tense_." As he said the last word his wrap on my arms tightened, and I squeaked in slight pain.

"Put me down!"

"Why should I?" His voice was almost sinister, and as I turned my head to see his face his eyes were cold and dark, like a killer's. "There's no one here to hear you if you scream. Everyone's either on their way home or too busy to give a damn about a helpless little Mithra in the shadows…" His hot breath was on my neck and cheek, and I almost felt like crying. Was he really this mean? Was he really going to do what he was implying?

"P-please..! P-put me down..!" I whimpered. He smirked. "N-no!" I cried, but one of his hands simply clamped over my mouth.

_She held the pan like a small sword, shifting back in just the right way so a shelf of everything fell onto the floor and on top of the trap door that lead to the cellar. She tripped over one of the items, however, the pan flying out of her hands and, rather comically, clashing into an armored warriors head before he crumpled to the floor, dent in his helmet._

_"How cute…," The black mage laughed, and he reached down, snagging her wrist and pulling her up. He held her in the air by her wrist, turning her back to him so he could see the deep black mark. "It's amazing this hasn't killed you yet…" He murmured, reaching up and grabbing the back of her ripped shirt._

_"N-no!" She cried, tears streaming down her cheeks, before he ripped what was left of her shirt off, tossing it down with the wreckage that was her house._

-----

"What the --- do to—She--- You bastard!" I could hear voices fading in and out of my head. They both were slightly familiar, but I couldn't tell if they were friendly or not. I was still watching myself fade away, shivering as the memory finally registered as a memory and not something that had just happened…

My eyes flew open and I sat up straight, screaming bloody murder.

"Good Lord, kitten!" Koi barked, taking his hands away from his ears before clamping them around my head and mouth. I looked up at him for a moment before starting to scream and thrash even more.

"Get away from her, you pervert!" Prim snarled, grabbed the back of his shirt and wrenching him away from me. He hit the far wall, hard, making the utensils and place settings on the table chatter. "Did he touch you, little Mithra? Did he hurt you!? I swear to god I'll-"

"I didn't touch her!! I was trying to scare her into fighting me! I didn't know she'd have a seizure and black out!"

"W-where am I?"

"You're at the Inn, sweet heart. Don't worry, Mama PrimRose is going to take good care of you now. That mean pedophile over there isn't going to touch you anymore."

"I didn't touch her!"

I looked up at Prim with dazzling hopeful eyes, as if she were really my mama. I had been so scared… I actually felt a little ashamed of myself. I could have fought him, or at least tried to get away instead of thrashing and passing out.

"… I believe you…" I finally said after a few moments of the two older people exchanging glares.

"What? How can you believe this pig?"

"I don't know… He just… He seems trust worthy… He could have raped me at any moment within the last day or so… Safer, too… Just seems strange he would in the middle of a city."

"See? I told you she was a smarty. I wasn't going to touch you, Kitten, I just wanted to fight you and evaluate just how good of a thief you were going to be."

"Still…" Prim looked over at me as I mumbled to myself, folding my hands in my lap after sliding my feet off the bed. "Please don't ever do that again… P-please… It's.. scary…"

"I'm sorry…" He mumbled. "I shouldn't have gone that far… I'm really sorry… To both of you."

"You should be, you perverted ass hole!" Prim stomped over to him, poking him in his soft chest with a claw. "Not only did you scare the shit right out of the young Mithra lady, you scared the shit out of me! If you really had raped her think of the trouble you'd be in! A former paladin! Stepped down from title the day he rapes an innocent little girl!" She glared up at him, and he looked genuinely scared. "And guess who'd have to clean that mess up, eh? Can you guess?! Well!?"

"I'm guessing you," I remarked with a smile. They both looked over at me and raised an eyebrow. "… What?"

"Quick recovery. That's a bonus." Prim smirked, and the paladin punched her in the arm, blushing as he spoke in a stern voice.

"That's not appropriate for the situation, PrimRose."

"Oh, pshhh.. You hungry, kid? Thirsty? You drink ale or anything like that yet?"

"Oh, no… I try and stay away from things that'll ruin my liver and kill me sooner than I need to be killed." The two older fighters smiled before laughing, and Prim left the room to retrieve food and drink, apparently, leaving me alone with Koi.

After the silence dragged on too long I spoke up.

"So is your name really Koi or is it something else?"

"It's Koigokoro. A mouthful, I know. That's why I usually go by Koi."

"What does it mean?"

"Awakening of Love."

We both were silent after that. He leaned against the wall Prim had thrown him against, and I reclined back on the bed, looking up at the ceiling blankly.

"… What about you? I haven't the slightest clue what your real name is. I've just been calling you Kitten…"

"It's Ayu-…" I stopped myself and looked over at him. He looked happy, like a little kid looking at the piece of candy he only gets once in a blue moon. "Aymid. My name is Aymid."

"Interesting name. What does it mean?"

"… You'll be all weird if I tell you."

"No I won't. I promise." I shook my head, but he persisted, coming over to the bed and kneeling down on his heels. "Pleeeeease?" He begged, giving me surprisingly cute puppy eyes.

"… It means Loveless."

"…"

"DRINKS ALL AROUND!!!" Prim's half drunken voice rang through the suddenly silent room, making me jump. Koi just looked over at her like she was crazy, though he was obviously amused. She was balancing any number of platters in her arms and hands and even a few on her head.

"Don't drop those now!" Koi laughed, rushing over to pick some of them off of her.

"I dun need yur' friggen' helpsss!"

"How did she get drunk in just a few minutes?"

"She may act like she can hold her liquor, but a half a tankard of any type of alcohol unless it's watered down will make her loopier than a Tarutaru on weed."

We both laughed at that, and it was her turn to look at us like we were crazy. Bad thing was, when her head snapped over to me she was taking a step, and thus missed the placement, where afterwards her foot slipped and she went crashing to the floor with whatever plates Koigokoro hadn't been able to save.

A while later Prim was curled up on one of the two beds in the room, crumbs still clinging to the fur of her cheeks as she slept. The paladin and I had been arguing about who was going to have the bed a few moments before, only… We were arguing about how the other should have it. He finally just picked me up off the ground by my shoulders and forced me down in the bed.

"Now go to sleep. You have a big day tomorrow." He reached back, pulling the covers over my body and up under my chin. Patting the creases out of the fabric, he smiled softly. "Sweet dreams."

"Goodnight…" I mumbled, wanting to ask him a few more questions as my blurry vision watched him grab a chair and sit between the two Mithras that were PrimRose and I. A few moments later I had passed out without even noticing.

My dreams were filled with shiny armor, blonde hair, and the soft, hazel colored eyes that matched the softness of a smile upon two perfect, light pink Hume lips…

* * *

Coming Soon: Level Three (Part 2): Hot, Passionate... Battles? 

P.S.: To all readers, just so you know I don't own this game yet. So most of the settings I'm making up on my own with a little help from my boyfriend who both owns the game and introduced me to it. One of the characters in this story is actually his, can you guess which one? ;3

Love! From: The Aymid!!! 3


	4. Level Three2: Hot, Passionate Battles?

::Experience::

**(Part 2)**

"You're sure this is a good idea, Koi? I mean, what if you get hurt?"

"I'll be fine, Prim. Besides, my father always wanted me to carry on the legacy. My great-grandfather was one of the first successful ones, you know."

"… Alright… Just… Don't hurt yourself… I'd be devastated if you got yourself killed…"

"Nnng…" I sat up in bed slowly, holding my head. It felt like I had a hangover. "Did you spike my drink last night, Prim?" I asked, groaning. When I opened my eyes two big, puppy-cute hazel ones stared back.

"Good morning, sunshine! Or maybe I should say Good Afternoon. Do you usually sleep that much?"

"I'm a cat. What do you expect?" I yawned wide, wincing and holding my head again. "Ow…"

"Here," Prim gave me a glass of something that smelled like Chocobo dung, and motioned for me to drink it. I paused for a little while before holding onto my nose and chugging it. Disgusted shivers ran up and down my entire body as it slithered down my throat and splashed into my stomach, audibly for everyone in the room.

"Oh my god, what the hell is this crap!?"

"A hangover potion. It should help that headache of yours in a jiffy."

"Thanks.." I held the glass back to her, and she smiled, taking it back and going to set it on the table. "Is it really noon already?"

"Just about. Did you have good dreams? You were talking in your sleep last night, it sounded like you were dreaming you were with your lover."

I blinked a few times, confused, before a deep blush crossed my cheeks. I squeaked out my words as I remembered the dream, making up one instead of what had really happened in it. "I-it was just my friend.. uh.. G-genki."

"What happened to him?"

"H-he stayed in the homeland after I left.." I winced. How could I be so stupid!? Dreaming about a male. And a _Hume_ male at that! It went against every hateful principle I had toward their kind!

"You miss him?" He smiled softly, reaching over and petting my hair, only succeeding in making me blush even harder.

"N-not too much…"

"We'll have to visit him some day then, won't we?" He patted my head a few times before standing, and it was then I noticed he was already dressed in his armor, helmet tucked under his other arm. "I'm going to head out you two, alright? Prim-Rose, take her out into the field and show her the ropes of combat. Make your way toward San d'Oria, and I'll catch up with you guys in a few days."

"W-where are you going?" I asked, standing suddenly after he turned away. I grabbed his arm, making some of the armor clink together.

He looked back at me for a moment and then smiled. "I have some personal business to attend to back at the castle before I can official step down. Stupid politics. It's going to take at least… two or three days for the paper work to go through and then the ceremony and all this other crap. You know, Royals, always wanting to make everything harder for their own entertainment." His smile turned slightly nervous as he rambled, and something just didn't seem right. Koi turned back around and wrapped his arms around my waist, picking me up in a hug. "Don't worry, Kitten. I promise I'll be with you and Prim in a few days. Just get to know her, alright? She may be a cocky bitch at times, but she's a sweet girl."

He let me go and was gone out of the room before I hit the floor.

"Don't worry about him, kid," Prim smiled from a chair on the other side of the room. Three packs were on the floor around her, each filled to the brim with everything from extra clothes to weapons to lots and lots of food. "He's a big boy. He can take care of himself." She chuckled and winked at me. "And when I say big, I'm not exaggerating." When the blush returned to my face she burst out laughing.

"T-that's not funny!" I cried, looking at her like a wounded animal. She just wiped her eyes and stood, picking up the bundles and tossing two at me.

"Since you're the dead weight you get to carry the dead weight." I was only able to catch one, and the other slammed into my stomach before hitting the floor. At least it wasn't the weapons bag she threw…

"Why do I have to carry more? I'm smaller!"

"Training. You need to build up some muscle. You're so tiny you're naturally skinny, but that doesn't mean you're strong." She slid the weapons sack straps over her shoulders and headed for the door. I followed. Being this close to her I noticed my face was just about the place her certainly giant breasts were.

At least, giant compared to mine.

An hour of silence passed as we traveled through Jueno, stopping here and there for supplies and goods and information and what not. I checked around every corner and in every ally, hoping silently the silver paladin would show up sooner that he said he would. But once we left the city he hadn't showed up, and there was no trace of him anywhere.

"So you have a little crush on my Koi, doncha?" Prim asked after a few minutes of uneventful travel through grass. I shook my head.

"I do not. I don't have crushes. Least of all on men. I hate men."

"That's the spirit, girl! If you hate men you'll never get your heart broken by one, that's my new motto." She looked down at me and smiled. "Besides, most men are pigs anyway. All they care about is what's under the shirt and if they can get at what's hidden under your skirt." She reached up and adjusted the formal red mage hat so it blocked the sun from her face. The feather fluttered lightly in the slight wind, and I looked up at the sky.

"It's going to rain tonight."

"Now where are you getting this information?" She asked, looking up at the clear sky. It was, literally, a pure blue. Not a cloud anywhere.

I smiled sweetly and tried to wink at her. "That's my little secret."

"Oh, you little skank!"

"Hey! I am not a skank!" I pouted. "If anyone's a skank, you are!"

"GASP! How dare you!!!" She squealed, though a smile was plastered on her face. She threw a pitiful punch at my face, and even with the extra twenty thousand pounds of items on my back, I ducked to dodge it. It flew over my head, and Prim let out a laugh, smiling. "Good job."

"I'm not as inexperienced as you may think." I straightened up, adjusting the straps of my packs. She shrugged slightly, looking back up at the sky.

"You still should be careful. There are people out there who will really hurt you, and they won't even give you a chance to defend yourself like Koi did last night." She glanced over at me without moving her head, blinking. My eyes were on the ground, watching the grass beneath our boots.

"Hey. Chin up, Kid. No one your age should be as sad looking as you do, even when you're happy you look sad."

"I'm sorry."

"Don't be sorry for it, if you're sorry for it, change it. Sorry never did nobody any good. Sorry just gives people false hopes and false securities."

"You know, when I first saw you yesterday I thought you were just a stuck up Royal's pet."

"I'm my own woman, kid. I go where I please, and do as I please. I've never been tied down to one person for too long. Not even Koi."

"You two seem to be very close.."

"We are. We've been friends since we were children. His mother… came to the Homeland with her husband, who was good friends with my father. He was born in Windurst, and then his parents disappeared suddenly, so my parents took him in."

"Disappeared?"

"They just up and went poof one day. We think they didn't like the settled down life. Didn't like being tied down by a baby son. It makes me mad… I would never do that to my child…"

"Did you two start traveling together?"

"Actually, yes. We left when he turned fourteen. I was thirteen. We, in a way, ran from home together."

"Why?"

"Just the lust for adventure, he says. All of Vana'diel was spread out before us, and he wanted to see it all."

"Do you believe him?"

"Not for a second. I know him better than he knows himself. He's searching for his parents… Still is, I think. We traced them to San d'Oria by the time we were sixteen, but the trail from there on was gone when we got there." She sighed heavily, running a gloved hand over her face. "They didn't want to be found, so they covered their tracks so well not even a regular hound could find them…"

A few minutes of silence on the field and suddenly she dropped her weapons back with a clank. "Alright, stop right there and drop your things. I'm going to give you a quick fighting lesson."

"I don't need any lessons!" I protested.

"Do you want to get so far ahead that Koi will never be able to catch up to us?"

"… No…"

"Good. Then take out your daggers and show me whacha got." She smirked and pulled out a one handed blade from the sack, a gem imbedded in the hilt. I removed my daggers from my sides, taking a defensive stance.

"Dia!" Her smirk widened as she flicked her free wrist at me. It felt like a puff of air slammed into my chest, and then she sped forward. "Defend yourself!" She cried, bringing the sword up in a slow over hand swing.

After a moment I came back to my senses, putting my daggers up in a defensive cross to catch the sword just in time. The blades slammed together, causing a bit of a spark. I nearly collapsed with the weight of her on my arms, but I managed to yank her sword between my own weapons down and over so I could jump away.

Dia.. what was that. I knew that spell. I had almost forgotten it. If she used Dia on me, that means my defense was worse, and that I'd be taking damage in a little while.

She was trying to force me into attacking!

"The next blow won't be held back, kid!" She called from a few yards away. I'd jumped back a bit too far to get some space between us, but I was faster than her. I was a thief after all. If she wanted me to attack her first I'd ablige, and hopefully cut her flesh with something.

"Here I come!" I snarled, racing forward as fast as I could and, just before I reached her, I ducked down and tried to stab her in the stomach with a thrust upward using my legs. Her sword flew in the way, however, and only succeeded in disarming me.

Both my daggers flew off in random directions, slicing into the ground and sticking like a fork in meat. She looked down at me for a moment, still half knelt on one leg, before a wide smile spread over her face.

"That was fun."

"Fun!?" I roared. "You could have killed me!"

"But I didn't. So be thankful." She smiled like an innocent kitten and sheathed her sword, skipping back over to the bags.

"Fighting you is totally unfair! You're way stronger and more experienced than I!"

"Life isn't fair, kid. People who aren't supposed to disappear leave, men who should be arrested for rape are never brought to justice, and Royals and Politicians continue to lie and manipulate the government to their own profit." She picked up her bag, throwing it over her shoulder and slapping the cap down farther on her head. "And yet, the world continues to rotate on its axis, oblivious to these problems." She looked off in the distance, as if seeing something I could never hope to glimpse, before turning and starting to walk.

"Pick up your bags and weapons. We should be a quarter to San d'Oria by nightfall."

* * *

Coming Soon: Level Four: The Whyner

P.S.: xD Again, sorry if the settings really fail. AND REVIEWS FEED MY SOUL. ::::3333

And thanks for sticking with the story, Kitty Lurv! x33 You make me happy -flails happily-


	5. Level Four: The Beginning of Pain

::Experience::

**Chapter Four: The Beginning of Pain**

Koi opened his fist slowly, looking down at the tear shaped gem. "Siren's Tear… How fitting…," He murmured under his breath, turning his hand just so the light of the setting sun sparkled off of the blue stone. In the strange light, the blue seemed to be streaked with red blood.

He closed his eyes and curled his fingers back around the item, taking a deep, sighing breath before continuing to walk down the dusty streets of Aht Urhgan. _Primrose and Aymid should be at least part way to San d'Oria by now… I wonder what they're having for dinner… _He thought as his stomach growled under the stomach plate of his chest armor. He'd been too uptight the past few hours to enjoy a lunch, let alone a mid-meal snack or dinner. He didn't want to do this. He hadn't planned on getting this call ever in his life…

_How could my secret have gotten out…? Had someone followed me? Done research? Cast a spell to read my mind…? I kept such safe guard over it to make sure this would never happen, yet… here I am…_ He sighed inwardly, sliding his hand into the tiny, padded bag at his side that he made to keep the gem safe. His coin purse jingled beside it.

"Would you like me to tell your fortune, good sir?" Came an old, weary voice from beneath a bent over cloak. The woman's face was covered by the veil, and she used an awkwardly gnarly looking walking stick to support the hump on her back. A large, strangely sleek looking black Chocobo swiveled its head into view, piercing eyes, one pink and one green, staring at him. The thing looked old, like its master, no saddle on it's well worn back.

Koi turned, looking down at the old lady almost sadly before nodding. "How much?"

"No cost," Came the crackly, cackling voice again. She used the crutch to lower herself to the ground, the Chocobo letting her use its head as another support. Koi kneeled down on one knee, watching as the fortune teller pulled bones with strange markings out from under her cloak. Holding them to her mouth, still hidden by the hood, she whispered a few, strange-languaged words into the old things and cast them onto the dusty ground. They feel in a strange shape, a few crossing, a few face down, and one, lonely one far off from the others. She pointed to a few, recalling his past with almost painful precision, talking of past loves and broken dreams. A broken home since he was a child. She pointed to another bone, a small symbol of a tree on it, and the two bones that crossed over it, a lightning bolt like shape etched so deep it almost his the marrow and a blank, bleached white bone.

"Your road from here will be hard and fraught with danger. Your ties to the natural world will be severed by a happening in the near future, but if you persevere your life will be prolonged and strength will follow. However, the white bone suggests your fears and beliefs are clouding your mind, giving you the inability to choose the correct direction in life, which could prove fatal."

"What does this one mean?" Koi pointed to the lonely bone, the smallest of them all. She picked it up and turned it over in her wrinkled hands, chuckling a bit as she saw the tiniest indent of a heart on it.

"The face down heart. As insignificant as what you had for breakfast, yet it can do so much when it comes to your future."

"What does it mean, though..?" Koi pressed, leaning in as the woman's voice became more and more of a whisper.

"Love is an elusive creature. Treat it right, tame it correctly, and you will have a partner for life in the form of a child." Koi smiled, tilting his head to get a better look at the bone. Her voice became stern then. "But treat it like the child it is, and not the mature adult it will be, disable its petals before it has time blossom and you may destroy a perfectly good flower."

Koi kneeled there for a few moments as the woman collected the bones, hiding them inside her cloak again. "W-wait!" He called when he realized she'd stood and began to walk away. "What does that mean?!"

"Whatever you make of it, young one," She waved a shriveled hand at him before she seemed to disappear in the dimming light. Koigokoro stood slowly, shifting uneasily in his armor. A few of those bones and predictions had scared him pretty well, but after shaking his head and smacking himself a few times to rid himself of the thoughts, he turned and continued on.

A few moments later the old woman appeared out of the shadows, straightening up, the hump on her back seemed to melt into her body, and the cloak's hood dropped around her shoulders. Two long, pointy ears poked out from long, flowing raven-black hair, decorated by any number of piercings. The black chocobo appeared at her side as well, and even it looked younger, more vibrant. The Elvaan woman reached up and stroked the soft feathers of the animal, cooing to it softly as she spoke in an entertained tone. "That Hume has an interesting life ahead of him… I kept a few secrets from him, do you think that was wise?"

The chocobo looked down at her uncaringly and nipped at one of her ears. She giggled, grabbing his head and kissing his shadow black beak before follow far behind the young man.

-----

Koi raised his gauntleted hand to knock on an almost rickety wooden door, his hazel eyes gray and dark, the glaze over them almost giving him the appearance of being drunk, when really he was simply deep in thought. Before his metal plated knuckles could hit the wood, however it flew open before he could, and a large Galka met his gaze. But he knew this wasn't the person he was supposed to see.

"Down here."

His head dropped down, and his eyes followed, falling on a short Tarutaru, clad in blue robes. He looked stuck up, like he always had.

"I'm here to complete our bargain." Koi pulled the tiny gem out of the pouch and presented it to the small male. He looked it over a few times before sniffing disdainfully and turning away, flicking his wrist like a royal.

"Bring him."

The Galka reached forward, grabbing the large Hume's arms and tugging him inside. He didn't resist, instead going almost limp. The wooden door slammed behind him by an unseen force, and he was led deep into the building after being blindfolded.

Before he knew it hands were on him, tiny ones, and regular ones. No Galka hands, though. He could hear whispering, and orders shouted by the Tarutaru who'd greeted him at the door.

His armor was ripped from his body, taking chunks of his shirt with the chest plate, and shredding his pants to near bits because they didn't bother to unhook everything like you should. It was then the Galkas returned, grabbing his arms and another his ankles as they laid him flat on a slanted table and bound him there with spell-enchanted latches.

By reflex, he pulled at them lightly, and he heard a low chuckle.

The blindfold was removed.

"You thought you could escape us, didn't you?" A dark skinned, red eyed Elvaan looked down at him, a white smile plastered on his face.

"My family hid me pretty well when I was a child, you can only expect me to have picked up on their tension before you destroyed them," Koi spat, pulling at the bonds a little harder. "Why chain me down when you know I won't leave?"

"Because…" The Elvaan took a long, painful looking needle and injector from a female Taru servant, flicking it upright and pushing out the bubbles. "This is going to hurt."

"I'm not afraid of you," Koi spat again. "I'll never be afraid of you, no matter what you do to me!"

"You know that little Mithra friend you have? The Red Mage?" He chuckled, grabbing a wet swab and cleaning a patch of his skin. Koi growled.

"What did you do to her!?"

"Absolutely nothing…" He positioned the needle, prodding the skin gently. "Yet, that is." He shoved the needle into his skin and squeezed the strange liquid into him. Instantly Koi felt like the blood in his arm was burning, boiling inside his skin.

"Gn..! Gaah!!" He let out a pained scream before clenching his teeth, that arm's hand clawing involuntarily as it spread.

"In a few minutes, Koigokoro, you'll be who you were meant to be," The Elvaan talked, pulling out the needle and cleaning it on the edge of his shirt. "Granted, a little weak to start, but soon enough the creature will take over… And you'll be the weapon I've been searching for since your father's untimely death."

Koi's eyes shot to the man, burning with hate as the poison spread up his shoulder and into his chest. As it reached his heart his whole body started, his chest rising off the table in pain as the strongest muscle in any Hume's body flooded his blood with the beast. He yanked hard on the bonds, making the entire table chatter and shake with the strain. Now his whole body felt like it was on fire, but it was a fire that had oil thrown into it, continuing to burn for what seemed like eternity and he couldn't make the pain stop.

He let out yells, shouts, growls, grunts, cries of pain and agony as the poison took effect, eating his very humanity away as a beast took its place in his soul, mind and spirit. Being such a grown man, very few things moved the Hume to tears, but the pain was so excruciating more than a few manly tears seeped out of his eyes and stained his cheeks. And finally, when he had roared and ripped at the table all he could, he went limp, nearly passing out as the room swam around him. All he could do now was whimper as the rest of his human self was dissolved and lost forever, replaced with something he didn't know if he could control.

* * *

A/N: o.o;; This wasn't exactly what I thought it'd be when I updated last, so I'm sorry it isn't titled correctly.

Enjoy anyway..? xD;;

Coming soon(for realz): Chapter Five: The Whyner


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